Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alice Creswell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alice, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope that my books will entertain the children who read them and at the same time, they will teach some valuable lessons. There’s nothing more important than reading a book and learning a lesson you can actually apply in real life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Ever since I was a kid, I loved stories. The more intriguing, the better. I loved imagining the worlds described in the books (I still do). And at some point, I picked up the pen and started scribbling. I cannot remember what was the first thing I’ve written. The one that I do remember vividly was a story I wrote when I was a student and I submitted to a contest. I didn’t win the first place, but I was in the first 10. For the first story ever written and sent to a contest, that was a huge win for me!

I had been playing around with stories for a long time, but there was a pivotal moment when I thought of a story and I really wanted to put it to paper. In hindsight, it wasn’t the best, although I still find the plotline interesting.

I’ve written about six novellas and a novel (different genres. I only wanted to put to paper the ideas), but at the same time, I started reading more children’s books to find again that innocence and spark that I loved so much. And then ideas poured. That made me put the pen to paper to write children’s books. And it felt good! I loved the stories that came out of my hands. It’s been already five years since I started my indie author journey and it’s been quite a ride!

Apart from children’s books, I do offer professional services for indie authors, such as beta reading, ARC reading, and manuscript formatting. The reason for this is that I believe most indie authors who publish their first manuscript need someone who knows exactly what you go need and speaks the same language. They need someone who will take off their hands some of the tasks an indie author has to do.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

When it comes to my books, I have them available for sale on different print-on-demand platforms. You can find my children’s books on Amazon. Because I do want them to reach as many kids as possible, I had them translated into French, Spanish, German, Japanese, and Romanian (my mother tongue).

Regarding the services I offer for indie authors, I’ve started on a freelancing platform, to be honest. It’s been quite a journey, but I’ve learnt a LOT about how to deal with authors, understand what they are looking for, what they need, and what they expect. However, these freelancing platforms take quite a commission on each order (10% from the buyers, and 20% from the sellers). So if anyone considers doing that, be warned. This is the reason why I want to sell my services separately. So starting with August 2023 I’ll have all my services available for purchase on my site.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I do have quite a number of repeat orders and authors I’ve worked with keep coming back to me (Kewayne Wadley, for instance) and I believe this is because I treat them as they expect to be treated: they are important and their work is important. I give them full attention and I am very careful when reviewing or formatting their manuscripts. I think that making your client feel comfortable with your expertise matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alicecreswell.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefireflysmagic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefireflysmagic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefireflymagic/
• Other: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alice-creswell https://www.amazon.com/stores/Alice-Creswell/author/B0BGCL8J5G?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Image Credits
Alice Creswell Andreea Moore